Understanding Parenthood Through Ponies.

[SacremPyrobolum]

After getting hooked and watching through My Little Pony: FiM I decided it would be a good idea to listen to some fanfiction readings of it on Youtube.

Initially, this idea was a horrible one. I started out with Cupcakes, which was ok compared to the other shock and gore fics I read afterwards, specifically Trixies Fun-house and Sweet Apple Massacre. However, my favorite was Rocket to Insanity for being more subtle and realistic than the other fics.

However, I can say without a doubt that the number one read I listened to was, of course, My Little Dashie. I cried like a ***** through nearly the entire length of it, clutching my pillow close to my side the whole while. And its just those four words spoken by Dashie that had such a masive effect

"I love you, daddy."

I have read many books, but none of them had ever made me care much for the relationship between a parent and child, nor illustrate it more correctly, than this read.

The part where the narrator describes his life before finding her, lacking color, joy, and purpose, the eventual finding of Dashie which gives him renewed purpose, when she says those four words for the first time, up until the very end, where he must finally let his child go.

Honestly, how can you deal with that? I would just want to curl up into a ball and wait to die. I couldn't go on living with her company! I expect this is what all parents feel when their children go off into the world, or at least what they should feel.

Here is the link to the reading it listened to :
Part One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tESDlYTkzsI

Part Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP3nMrrU8p8

 

[Nouw]

OP, as much as I would love to share your experience I don't think spoiling the story is going to let me do that. Please edit it so other people who want to have that experience get it. It would be like sharing a film's twist to tell people who good the film is you know? I understand that you really like it but telling people the punchline won't help spread the joy. Or sadness in this case. Anyhow...

I'm reading it now.

EDIT:I take it back, I wouldn't have cried or felt much sorrow even if it wasn't spoiled. I couldn't take it seriously. I just couldn't. I'm usually a sucker for stories like this but I couldn't really bring myself to be sad by this story.

Spoiler: Spoilers

I began to skim through it after the part Princess Celestia came in. It went from mildly plausible from ridiculous. Why? Because I'm the sort of the person that thinks up stuff like this. The sort of person that makes up imaginary stories to boost my ego and make me feel better. The sort of person that makes up stories so they can have self-pity. I also make up ridiculous stories like these and that is why I can't take it seriously. I'm trying to stop doing that. It feels like something I made up when I was younger, so I could really play with the fictional characters I liked. Like Digimon. God I would have given anything to enter that world like Okiawa. If I've learnt anything from this thread, it's that maturing isn't necessarily a good thing. Why have I given up my fantasies...

 

[TheSentinel]

i'm going to ask you a very serious question, and it would be nice to receive a straight answer:

what the fuck is wrong with you

 

[TheSentinel]

yeah misogyny isn't really what I was lookin for but honestly OP, your post raises some, uh, questions.

1.) what the hell kind of person looks up dramatic readings of torture fic for a show about cartoon ponies for unironic purposes

2.) how the fuck do you become so goddamn attached to a character in a fanfiction of all goddamn things like seriously what the hell

 

[SamuelT]

After listening:

Honestly? This is the best father-daughter relationship you've ever read? You, my man, have been reading the wrong books.

 

[Nouw]

yeah misogyny isn't really what I was lookin for but honestly OP, your post raises some, uh, questions.

1.) what the hell kind of person looks up dramatic readings of torture fic for a show about cartoon ponies for unironic purposes

2.) how the fuck do you become so goddamn attached to a character in a fanfiction of all goddamn things like seriously what the hell

Misogyny? Torture fic? Do tell how so.

 

[Zen Toombs]

Well this thread devolved quickly....

Also:

stuff

You should probably put the spoilers in your post in spoiler tags, and rewrite them so that what you write is a little clearer. As of now, your post only kindof makes sense.

 

[Blue Hero]

I'm only 9 minutes into My Little Dashie. So far, it's boring and crappy and I hate it. Does it get any less boring and crappy and me hating it? It's also kinda creepy. Perverted creepy, not spooky creepy. Does it get less creepy?

 

[Neverhoodian]

Eh, I'll take your word for it. One of the main reasons why I enjoy MLP is because it's sweet and innocent. "Grimdark" fanfics miss the point entirely in this regard. It would be like trying to make a "warm and fuzzy" Warhammer 40k fanfic. It just doesn't fit given what we know about the established universe.

I'm more lenient if it's meant to be satirical:

Spoiler

 

[Aidinthel]

Yeah, that story made me cry, too. So sad, but in a good way.

Feel free to drop into the user group for guaranteed parasprite-free pony chat. The swift appearance of haters (or one hater and one guy who disapproves of your choice in fanfics) makes my point nicely, I think.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/MLP-Friendship-is-Magic

Eh, I'll take your word for it. One of the main reasons why I enjoy MLP is because it's sweet and innocent. "Grimdark" fanfics miss the point entirely in this regard.

My Little Dashie isn't grimdark, it's just sad. Though I can understand your confusion with it coming at the end of a list of gore fics.

 

[Combustion Kevin]

I'm not that big a fan of the MLP: FiM Fanfictions though - most of it is far too detached from the show's original message/tone that it doesn't really feel like MLP anymore.
Also the shipping between Ponies. That's just NASTY.

Why else could you POSSIBLY consider writing a fanfic?
I kid, I kid.

OT: I recommend you read more, if this sparked your emotions to the point of bawwling your eyes out, there is a whole new world opening up for you.

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

It is a pretty cute fanfic, yes. I read. In fact, i did a reading on YouTube. I mean, i didn't cry or anything, there were some points were the story was trying a bit to hard to be touching and felt kinda... sappy but it's still rather well written and when it works it really works.

 

[Hoplon]

Yeah, OP needs to read some books.

What to recommend though... hummm, Catch 22, The Old Man and the Sea, Oliver Twist, Snowcrash, Carter Beats the Devil, Jane Eire, The Idiot, 1984, Animal Farm, The Blind Assassin.

To start that will do.

 

[vrbtny]

Wow 20 posts, three warnings, one ban. This is a destructive thread.

OT : Nope, sorry. Seen better father/daughter relationships in other books and media. Ponies nope.

 

[TheIronRuler]

This has been a waste of my time. Not entirely, because I got to listen to a nice accent speaking English which I can try and mimic, but overall it was a waste of time.
I laughed when he pretended to cry during the reading.

 

[Chefodeath]

This thread really demonstrates the pathetically juvenile soul of the internet. Some guy comes on here talking about a fanfiction he read which accomplished what is the goal of any legitimate art form, it touched him emotionally and helped him grow as a person. Instead of being happy that he was able to experience a beautiful moment like this, we flame the fuck out of him for his poor literary tastes and proceed to recite titles of all the books our English teachers told us would make us sound smart. It's not like he was coming on here saying "This fanfiction is the best piece of literature ever, worship it you sheep," he was just sharing a personal subjective experience. You guys are losers.

Ot: and with my tirade complete, I'll actually respond to op. I read My Little Dashie, and what I find is that while the writing and the story are rather pedestrian, the writer was able to accomplish one thing to such explosive effect that it amplified the rest of his fic and allowed him to rise to the heights that he did; He connected to his audience.

The introduction is brilliant in that it establishes immediate symmetry with the show's brony demographic. The narrator is a young adult male, trapped in a grey and lifeless world which holds neither elegance or meaning for him. So sad and pathetic is his life that he enters into the world of a child's cartoon for some escape. It's not exactly a charming portrait, but it is I think to some extent accurate. Because of this, you are made to sympathize with the narrator and feel his highs and lows. That is why this fic is so popular, I think, and why people should respect how it has moved its readers and not just troll them for crying over ponies.

 

[Jumplion]

This thread really demonstrates the pathetically juvenile soul of the internet. Some guy comes on here talking about a fanfiction he read which accomplished what is the goal of any legitimate art form, it touched him emotionally and helped him grow as a person. Instead of being happy that he was able to experience a beautiful moment like this, we flame the fuck out of him for his poor literary tastes and proceed to recite titles of all the books our English teachers told us would make us sound smart. It's not like he was coming on here saying "This fanfiction is the best piece of literature ever, worship it you sheep," he was just sharing a personal subjective experience. You guys are losers.

Ot: and with my tirade complete, I'll actually respond to op. I read My Little Dashie, and what I find is that while the writing and the story are rather pedestrian, the writer was able to accomplish one thing to such explosive effect that it amplified the rest of his fic and allowed him to rise to the heights that he did; He connected to his audience.

The introduction is brilliant in that it establishes immediate symmetry with the show's brony demographic. The narrator is a young adult male, trapped in a grey and lifeless world which holds neither elegance or meaning for him. So sad and pathetic is his life that he enters into the world of a child's cartoon for some escape. It's not exactly a charming portrait, but it is I think to some extent accurate. Because of this, you are made to sympathize with the narrator and feel his highs and lows. That is why this fic is so popular, I think, and why people should respect how it has moved its readers and not just troll them for crying over ponies.

Very well said. I think when people think of "fan fiction" we tend to automatically think of these lovely examples [http://www.cracked.com/article_16554_the-5-most-baffling-sex-scenes-in-history-fanfiction.html] or weird, mouth-breathing, manchildren who spend their time obsessing over some random show, but often times if given the chance, fan fiction can actually be quite good. I've read some MLP stories, and while a lot of then tend to be depressing as hell (either the characters grow up or something like that), they're still a surprising amount of quality among the fanfics. It's just the ickyness factor most of us need to overcome.

EDIT: After reading the fic, I will say it was better than most other fanfics, but I just couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to get over the fact that he's talking with a cartoon character. Also the unfortunate implications of his sanity, living for 15 years in solitude just to be with a cartoon pony, just kind of weirded me out. If this took place over a year maybe, I'd probably feel better towards it, but 15 years is a bit excessive to me at least. Still a good fic, again, better than most, I just couldn't take it as seriously as it demanded.

 

[Aidinthel]

*snip*

0_0

Wow, you seem a bit too open-minded for the internet. Are you lost?

Regarding the fic, yeah that seems about right. The thing is I don't think being disillusioned with the real world is all that unusual; escapism is a thing for a reason, after all. This story could pretty much have substituted characters from any franchise the reader happened to enjoy and it would have the same effect; the author simply happened to write it about ponies.

 

[repeating integers]

Can someone tell me what the fuck is going on here?

Kid who has never read a book in his life thinks NLP fanfic is actually good.

...A neuro-linguistic programming fic?

That is just odd.

 

[Guffe]

Never seen a MLP episode so not gonna bother about the fanfiction either.
Dad-son/daughter stories exist a lot, and absed on banns and such in this thread either Topic Creator is a very sensitive type of perosn or then someone enterd the wrong thread....
Anything that suits you is for you, some stuff doesn't, I thought the father-daughter thing in the headline would've brought me to something interesting but this was nothing for me.
*sneaks of to the darker parts of the escapist*